So, we're now back from Abbotsford, where we performed our two best songs before a crowd of our peers and judges from the Barbershop Harmony Society. There were 10 choruses and 10 total quartets (one was from "out of district" so they didn't factor in to the division scoring), and out of 9 quartets, we placed 6th, with a very narrow lead between the 4th and 6th placed quartets. We felt very good about our performance, and we believe the scoring represents the growth we've made as a quartet over the last two years, which is when we last performed at competitions, as a novice quartet.

When we first competed, nerves definitely got the better of us. The number one critique of our quartet was weak, quiet, tense singing (Hello Nerves!) and the remedy was to sing out and be more confident of what we had to offer. This time, there were no comments of that sort - our singing was solid, our musical interpretation was thoughtful and for the most part accurate, and everything we practiced, we brought to bear at competition.

Now, we've entered into the next phase of our performing, that of working harder to engage the audience in our vision for the song we're singing. This involves clearer body language (both unified and separate) via choreography, as well as being aware of different visual elements we can employ to draw the audience into a deeper sharing of the interpretation of the song. We'll be working on this as we prepare for next year's competition.

Fortunately, all of these things we practice in preparation for competition are directly relevant for public performances, as one of the hallmarks of the Barbershop Harmony Society is engaging and entertaining public performances. Every time we tweak and twiddle, it's all for the goal of bringing you the best entertainment we can muster.

You can see what we're capable of now by attending the Vernon Community Singer's spring show, called "Classics to Country", Friday April 15th at 7pm and Saturday April 16th at 2pm. Things are only getting better!